Animal trap



Patented Dec. 17, 1940 2,225,254

UNITED STATES PATENT ANIMAL TRAP Roy Bowen, Hoopcston, Ill.

Application December 18, 1939, Serial No. 309,871

3 Claims. (01. 43-835) This invention relates to animal traps, and itstion or shaft 9 extending transversely of the general object is toprovide a trap primarily deextension 2 and mounted in the staples 3 forsigned for catching rodents and the like, and cooperation with .thetrunnion for rockably which includes a handled spring pressed bailmounting the jaw member, for the latter to co- 5 type jaw member havingthe other trap elements operate with one end portion of the base to setassociated therewith and with each other, in a up a clamping engagementtherewith, as will be manner whereby the trap can be set, merely byapparent upon inspection of Figures 1 and 2. moving the jaw member byits handle to set From the shaft 9 the strand is bent at right position,thus eliminating the possibility of inangles thereto, to provide ahandle Ill paralleling 1o jury to the person setting the trap. the armsand terminating in an eye I I to provide 0 A further object is toprovide a mouse trap a convenient gripping means, as will be apparthatis simple in construction, inexpensive to ent. manufacture, extremelysensitive, and eflicient in Sleeved on the shaft 9 is a coil spring I2havoperation, use and service. ing a finger I3 extending from one endthereof This invention also consists in certain other and terminating ina hook I l mounted on the features of construction and in the combinaarm6, while extending from the opposite end of tion and arrangement of theseveral parts, to the spring is a finger I5 engaged with the exbehereinafter fully described, illustrated in the tension 2. By thatconstruction, it will be obviaccompanying drawing and specificallypointed ous that the jaw member is normally held in out in the appendedclaims. clamping engagement with the base, and is mov- 20 In describingthe invention in detail, re-ferable against the action of its spring bythe hanence will be had to the accompanying drawing dle which isdisposed beyond the extension to wherein like characters denote like orcorrefacilitate gripping the same, as will be apparent sponding partsthroughout the several views, and upon inspection of Figure 1.

tries in which: The arm 5 is shaped in curved formation ad- Figure 1 isa top plan view illustrating the trap jacent to its pivoted end, toprovide a support I B in sprung or normal position. arranged in the pathof the right angularly bent Figure 2 is a sectional view takenapproxiend portion I! of a keeper member that is likemately on line 2--2of Figure 1, looking in the wise made from a single strand of wire, andthe direction of the arrows. major portion I8 thereof extendslongitudinally 30 Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view like Figure ofthe base, while the portion I'I extends trans- 2, but illustrates thetrap in set position in full versely thereof, with its free end normallyrestlines and the direction of movement of the eleing upon the supportI6, as best shown in Figure ments thereof by arrows when being set, andthe 2. The end of the portion I8 opposite to the intermediate positionof said elements in dotted portion I1 is coiled upon itself as at I9,with the 35 lines. coiled portion pivotally mounted on a staple 2%Figure 4 is a sectional View taken approxisecured to and rising from thebase, and from mately on line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the the coiledportion I9, the strand of the keeper direction of the arrows. memberextends into a rearwardly directed arm- 40 Referring to the drawing indetail, it will be ate abutment member 2I engageable with the 40 notedthat the base I is shown as being of flat base to limit the upwardswinging movement of elongated formation and includes. a laterally dithekeeper member, as indicated in dotted lines rected substantiallytriangular shaped extension in Figure 3. Coiled about the staple 20 isan 2, straight ends, and a straight side opposite to end portion of akeeper finger 22 that is fixed the extension. to the coiled portion I9to be carried thereby and 45 Secured to the extension and risingtherefrom the finger 22 is disposed in parallelism with the is a pair ofspaced parallel staples 3 and secured portion I8 for cooperationtherewith, to receive accordingly adjacent to the straight side edge,the bight portion I between the finger 22 and is a like staple 4 alignedwith the staples 3 for portion I8, as shown in Figure 3, for holding thepivotally receiving a bail type jaw member that jaw member in setposition. 50 is formed from a single strand of wire bent to The baitholder and trigger member likewise provide parallel arms 5 and 6 and abight portion include a single strand of wire in the structure I. Thearm 5 is bent inwardly to provide a trunthereof and this strand is bentto provide an eye nion 8 mounted in the staple 4 and from the arm 23pivotally mounted on a staple 24 secured to 6, the strand is bent toprovide a straight porand rising from the base, slightly forwardly be-55 yond the transverse center thereof. From the eye 23, the strandextends in diverging portions 25 and 26, the portion 25 being shorterthan the portion 26 and terminates in a plurality of superimposed coilsto provide a bait receptacle 21, while the long portion likewiseterminates in coils and due to the length thereof together with thecoils on its outer end, the long portion will counter-balance the shortportion, together with the bait receptacle and the bait to hold theshort portion normally at an elevated inclination, as clearly shown inFigure 3. Secured to the short portion adjacent to the pivot thereof isa trigger latching lug 28 in the form of a hook and having a cammedouter face 29 disposed in the path of the bent end portion I! of thekeeper member for directing the same within the hook, as shown in Figure3, to hold the jaw member in set position through the medium of thekeeper member.

It is believed from the foregoing that the operation of my trap isobvious, but it might be mentioned that When it is desired to set thesame, the jaw member is moved against the action of the spring I2, bythe handle H3, in the direction of the arrows of Figure 8, and suchmovement will elevate the keeper member to the dotted line position ofFigure 3 for the disposal of the bight portion 1 between the portion l8and keeper finger 22. When the bight portion is disposed accordingly,the keeper member will drop by gravity against the cammed face 29, asshown by the arrows in Figure 3. The weight of the keeper member againstthe face 29 will cause the bait holder and trigger member to move on itspivot, to an extent to allow the portion H to be caught in the hook ofthe lug 28, as shown in full lines in Figure 3, thus it will be seenthat the trap can be set, merely by the use of the handle l0, therebypreventing injury to the operator.

After the trap has been set, and if an animal should attempt to removethe bait from the receptacle 21, it will be furtherobvious that the baitholder and trigger member will be moved on its pivot, to release thekeeper member from the hook of the lug 28. When released, the jaw memberis likewise released and the latter is snapped from its set position ofFigure 3 to its clamping or normal position of Figure 2, so as tocooperate with the base to oatchand hold the animal which can bereleased from the trap, upon again moving the handle In.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages andnovel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction andin the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided thatsuch changes fall within the scope of the ap ended claims.

WhatI claimis:

1. An animal trap comprising a base, a bail type jaw member includingparallel arms, a trunnion formed on one arm, a shaft on the other armand together with the trunnion being pivotally connected to the base forswinging movement of the jaw member, a spring sleeved on the shaft andengaged with the base and the adjacent arm to urge and hold the jawmember in clamping engagement with the base, pivotally mounted keepermeans for holding the jaw member in set position and engaged with one ofsaid arms to be carried thereby for disposal of the keeper means in setposition, means to limit the movement of the keeper means, said keepermeans including parallel portions to receive the jaw member between thesame to hold the jaw member in set position, counter-balanced baitholding and trigger means including a cammed latching lug arranged inthe path of the keeper means to automatically latch the latter in setposition, and a setting handle formed on the shaft.

2. An animal trap comprising a base, a spring pressed jaw memberpivotally secured to the base for cooperation therewith to set up aclamping action, keeper means including a portion pivoted to the baseadjacent one end thereof for disposal longitudinally of the base, aright angularly bent end portion formed. on the, longituclinallyextending portion and disposed transversely of the base, a keeperfingerfixed to the pivoted end of the longitudinally extending portion anddisposed in parallelism therewith to receive the jaw member between thesame to hold the jaw member in set position, said trans-- verselydisposed portion engaged with the jaw member to be carried thereby fordisposal of the keeper means in set position, means to limit movement ofthe keeper means, counter-balanced bait holding and trigger meansincluding a cammed latching lug arranged in the path of the transverselydisposed portion, to automatically latch the keeper means in setposition, and a setting handle on the jaw member.

3. An animal trap comprising a base, a spring pressed jaw memberpivotally secured to the base for cooperation therewith to set, up aclamping action, spaced parallel arms included in said jaw member andone of said arms beingshaped in curved formation to provide supportingmeans, keeper means for holding the jaw member in set position, saidkeeper means having one end pivotally secured to the base and itsopposite end normally resting on the supporting means to be carried bythe jaw member for disposal of the keeper means to set position,counter-balanced bait holding and trigger means including a long portionand a short portion disposed in diverging relation with respect to eachother and pivoted to the base between said portions, said portions beingformed from a single strand of wire and;

the short portion being coiled upon itself to provide a bait receptacle,said long portion being coiled upon itself at its free end tocounter-balance the short portion for holding the latter normallyelevated, a cammed latching lug fixed to the short portion and arrangedin the path of the keeper means to automatically latch the latter in setposition, and a setting handle on the jaw member.

ROY BOWEN.

